UPDATE: James Gunn and Matt Reeves have denied the rumors about integrating “The Batman” into the DCU, calling it “entirely untrue.” You can see his tweet after the original story below…
What the hell is going on over at DC Studios? That’s the question on superhero film fans’ minds as we see the beginning stages of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reign over the DCU. That question has been amplified by the recent news that Patty Jenkins is no longer making “Wonder Woman 3,” and apparently, there is a not-so-small chance that the entirety of the DCU could be facing a reboot. However, as Gunn and Safran remained tight-lipped about what that future might look like, there are plenty of reports about some of the sweeping changes facing the superhero cinematic universe, especially regarding the status of Batman.
According to Variety, it appears that one of the things being discussed by James Gunn and Peter Safran is what to do with Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” Launching with the reboot film in March, fans and critics seemed to fully embrace the filmmaker’s vision for an ultra-gritty, realistic take on the Caped Crusader. One problem—that film exists in its own universe, very far away from whatever is happening with the DCU. Well, Variety says that Gunn and Safran are thinking about ways to incorporate the world Reeves created into the greater DCU.
You see, DC Studios has a bit of a Batman problem right now. Ben Affleck fully intended for “The Flash” to be his swansong as the hero. In fact, DC is going to reintroduce Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne in that movie, and everyone assumed that Keaton would be the new (old) Batman in the DCU while Reeves explores his own world for a few films. However, even before Gunn and Safran took over, reports claimed that plans had already changed and Keaton wasn’t the long-term solution, leading to news that Affleck was shooting a cameo for “Aquaman 2,” and he could continue for future films. It’s a confusing mess, to be certain.
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But what about those rumors of a complete reboot? Well, are fans going to embrace another Batman reboot while Matt Reeves continues to do his own thing with his just-rebooted universe? Unlikely. That would leave the DCU without a fully-integrated Batman. That also feels like an unsatisfying answer. Option C really feels like the only way to please everyone, which is to bring Reeves’ vision and world into the DCU.
That said, does that even seem like a good idea? In the press tour leading up to the release of “The Batman,” Matt Reeves was clear that he didn’t want to introduce superpowers in his world in any real way. And do you think Robert Pattinson wants to take the very dark, incredibly moody version of Bruce Wayne that he created and have him mingle with Clark Kent and quippy superheroes? It really does feel like the superhero equivalent of oil and water.
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Look, Gunn and Safran are co-CEOs, and as such, can do whatever the hell they want to do with these characters. At the end of the day, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson don’t own Batman. So, it’ll be interesting to see how the new bosses deal with this Batman quandary.
Let’s just add this to the growing list of questions that fans are going to obsess over until a final plan is unveiled at some undetermined time in the future. Boy, it’s fun to be a DC fan right now, huh?